#artist alley tips

[xelafina]

🎨 Some general tips and observations I've made after boothing at artist alleys for over 8 yrs 🌈

- having an "inviting" set up may sometimes be better than a fancy one (some ppl get intimidated by standees, tarps, etc) - best sellers/important things must be on the forefront + EYE LEVEL. Have something that catches ppl's attention at first glance or they skip everything else - ppl like touching things (likelihood of buying what they can touch is higher) - interacting w/ passersby even just a bit is better than ignoring them and/or hiding behind the booth - even if a price is stated, they WILL ask how much something is. - even so, have prices listed for introverts (so they wont have to ask how much. also same.) - handing out merch + change must be atleast snappy so the next customer doesnt end up waiting for too long and get mad / decide to leave instead - organize your merch.. please - less is more. Sometimes it's better to have a few options than to overwhelm ppl with choices. - be nice to ur neighbors - ask customers for different set of bills/coins to easily give out change - Ppl can't decide what to buy? They will likely want stickers. HAVE THEM. - try not to run out of envelopes. You WILL feel bad handing out envelope-less prints. - if someone's making rude comments/remarks, best to just ignore and move on with your day. You'll likely never even see them again (Also, it makes as a funny twitter/tumblr story.)

**END**

Again, these are just some general tips and my take on things based on my own personal experience w/ boothing, not a "be all end all"!

Feel free to add any of your own if I forget any! :^)

[genericpuff]

shitty phone pics BUT I got my keychains in from Vograce today! This was my first time ordering from them, it took me a while to take the plunge because I had heard mixed reviews on them, but I'm pleased to say that my first time buying from them went really well! This isn't really meant to be any sort of formal 'review' post or anything, just sharing my own experiences of how it went for other artists who might be interested in using their services or getting into making physical merch and need some tips :>

The acrylic is SUPER solid and the keychains themselves feel very well made and reliable, so there should be very little chance of these things breaking on anyone ! They came with protective film on both sides (which took me a hot second to figure out if there even was any because it was so secured to the acrylic LMAO) and each one came packaged in a soft baggie which were then packaged in a ziplock and then put in a secure box, so they were very well protected during the trip :> The nice thing is that the soft baggies are compostable, but they can easily be reused as packaging when they're sold so I'm gonna make sure to bring them with me when I take them to my shows!

I think my only gripe is that the colors are a little more desaturated than what I was expecting, but this also isn't the first time I've ordered custom acrylic so at this point I know it's more so a consequence of the material, so I'll probably saturate the colors a bit more next time I place an order. It should also be noted that if you're an artist yourself who's interested in Vograce's products, their turnaround time can be a little on the slower side, so don't order these expecting them to turn up in a week, plan ahead!! (though I've been told by other artists who actually make money that if you put 'urgent' in the care instructions, that can actually help speed up the process? I have yet to try this though and I'd rather not do that if I'm not actually in a rush LOL)

All in all this was a very successful test run, I'll be selling these guys at my first convention (I have about 15 of them so not too many that I'll wind up overstocked in case they don'8t sell well and not too much money lost , it cost me about $40 after shipping) and then after that I'll be placing another bigger order for more! They also sell washi tape so I'm DYING to design something for that aaahhh <3

[jojostory]

I always read your AA tips despite never planning on tabling, but I’m tabling for the first time ever this summer! I wanted to ask, how much do you generally price your 11x17 posters (or what’s the most common pricing) and how do you normally go about giving deals? Like are people more likely to buy if you say “buy 2 for $x” or “buy 2 get 1 free” ? Thank you!

OMG -- So sorry for the late reply!

About 4 - 5 years ago, when I was active in Artist Alley, the typical price for 11x17 prints was $15. However, it seems like the typical price is now $20 (at least at the few conventions I've been to in the last 1 - 2 years).

For deals, I think it really depends on what you're selling! For example, when I first started out I had some kind of deal where you could get a large print and a small charm at a cheaper bundled price (I think? I can't remember exactly what I offered haha), but I didn't really have any takers, so I stopped offering it.

But later, when I started selling my Nintendo 3DS holiday cards, I offered a "buy 2 for cheaper" deal which a lot of people took advantage of! Thinking about it now, it makes sense to me -- greeting cards get used up, and people will often want to buy multiple at a time because they have multiple people they want to give cards to during holidays, so the deal becomes much more attractive. In contrast, there isn't really a good reason for people to buy a print and charm together (mayyybe unless the print and the charm feature the same character or something).

Anyway -- all this to say, the answer to you question about deals is "it depends!" Don't be afraid to try offering different kinds of deals each time you table and see what works and what doesn't. Try putting yourself in the customers' shoes and think about possible reasons people might want to buy multiple things, and make deals based on those possible reasons.

Hope this helps!

[cryptidroots]

PSA to all vendors/ artists who do cons, markets, faires, whatever-

Be the booth buddy you would want to meet!

Talk to your booth neighbors! Say hi! Offer to help them with anything! Watch their stuff if they need to run to the restroom! Bring extra water bottles and snacks and offer to share! Follow each other on social media! Give shout outs to other small businesses and artists whose stuff you genuinely enjoy!

Some of our greatest friends we've made on our small business journey have been other small business owners! We share info about how certain cons went, what printers we do or don't like, what events look cool and which ones might be a dud - it's so nice and so amazing to be part of and building this community!

And you can too!!! Just be nice and friendly to the other people you meet on your journey, it might turn out you're all walking the same path!

[boldegoist]

A closer look at VOGRACE’s color aberration. Also a standee review compare/contrast.

[cozylittleartblog]

it seems to be artist alley tradition to have a Silly Sign for your tip jar, so this is mine :) if you see him at Anime Central or Anime Midwest this year... consider making a financial donation to #1 anime waifu Vash The Stampede

i'm gonna count up the money after each show and draw him with the Appropriate Amount Of Donuts too, of course

[meruz]

If u don't mind my asking, where do you get all your merch made? :0 (I am particularly eyeing those hearts pins)

this is easy because besides prints (Which I use a local printer for) i dont use anything else except vograce nowadays LOL. I've been using them since I had to go through alibaba to contact them but now that they have their own storefront its so easy. I also feel like about half of all artist alley ppl use them now.

pricing is pretty good but you definitely have to pay out of the ass for shipping and i would give manufacturing + shipping anything at least a month at least if youre in the u.s. like me. a lot of people do group orders to split shipping cost and you get discounts for certain amts of quantities ordered too. but organizing a GO only adds to how long of a buffer you need also its just a pain in the ass to coordinate ppl... theres pros and cons (haha cons).

[md3artjournal]

"Successful Artist Alley Table Display Tips for Beginners in 2023! | Artist Alley 101" by Mualcaina

[stephanidftba]

Hey, are you going to go to some sort of art festival/artist alley/craft show etc?

Are you going to end up with a dozen business cards you don't remember why you grabbed?

WRITE WHAT YOU LIKED ON THE BACK OF THE BUSINESS CARD.

IDK why this is so amazing to everyone who sees me do it, but apparently not many people think to do this, so I'm sharing the tip. Now I can remember which artists I wanted to (save up and) buy plushies from, and who was out of the prints and stickers I wanted (that I can get next month when they restock), instead of looking at my handful of business cards and throwing them in the bin because going to every site is too much time and effort.

[popo-licious]

Calculating Your Worth as a Freelance Artist

Hi all, I originally posted this on Reddit but wanted to share it here as well.

-

There are many different approaches you can take to charge for freelance work, and I'm sure every artist will have slightly different advice. Here is what has worked well for me personally. :)

Method

I bill my clients by the hour as opposed to billing for the entire project upfront. I used to bill a flat fee when I was just starting out, but discovered that I was undercutting myself significantly. Here is the formula I use:

(Hourly Rate x Hours Worked) + Materials = Total

Rate

Determining your rate is tricky because you're essentially defining what you think you are worth. Most of us artists tend to undervalue ourselves, especially when first starting out. As a starting point, figure out the absolute lowest acceptable rate that you would be willing to work for. Ideally this starting rate will be equal to or exceed minimum wage. You and your art are worth it and you shouldn't be expected to work for pennies. <3

Once you determine your baseline, you can add markup to your rate based on your skill level, years of experience, and any additional benefits you bring to the client. Markup is important because it allows you to a) make more money and b) have some wiggle room to negotiate with your client.

Below is a handy formula for calculating markup.

Minimum Rate + (Minimum Rate x Markup) = Final Hourly Rate

For example, lets say the lowest amount you are willing to work for is $20/hour. Additionally, let’s assume for this example that you're a reasonably skilled artist with several years of experience. If you were to markup your minimum by 75%, your hourly rate would be $35/hour. Here is the math:

$20 + ($20 x 0.75) = $35

or

$20 x 1.75 = $35

In this scenario, you can present your client with an hourly rate of $35, and if that isn't in their budget, you have the flexibility to negotiate down as low as $20 without feeling cheated.

Estimating Hours

In order to accurately estimate your hours, its important to ask questions that will help you determine the scope of the project and what will be expected of you.

Here’s an example: a friend has asked you to design the cover art and packaging for their new album. Some good questions to ask are: 

- Do you already have a concept in mind for the design? 

- Will the art be needed for future projects such as merch? (This will dictate the final size you provide.)

- Will you need assistance with setting up the files with the print vendor? 

- Will you need assistance with adding any text to the packaging?

- When is the deadline?

Once you have that information, it will be much easier to determine realistically how much time it will take you to fulfil the request. (Also, build in some time for edits as well!)

Materials

Materials includes any expendable supplies you need to purchase specifically to complete this project. If you are painting, this would be your canvas, paints, brushes, etc. If you are sewing, this would be your textiles, thread, needles, etc.

Make sure to let your client know about these added costs ahead of time, as they are separate from your hourly rate. 

Additionally, I normally wouldn’t charge clients for any non-expendable materials that can be used infinitely, such as software. You can expense those to your business.

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I hope this helps, good luck! :D

[maddieinmanart]

Now that I’ve been tabling at cons for a year I feel ready to share my wisdom with the world. Enjoy this handy guide!

[unorthodoxpengu]

British summertime

[jojostory]

Hiii! Your advice for Artists has been super amazing over the years, im sure there are great things ahead of you <3

It’s my second time tabling, and my first was at a really small 1 day event with ~1000 attendees. My most popular print I sold 20 of, but others I only sold around 5-10. However, the convention i just got into is 3 days and has around 25k attendees 😭 so i really have no idea how many to print…I know this is sort of specific but I’d totally appreciate your insight! Have a lovely day <3 <3

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late reply, I hope you had a great artist alley experience at your first big con!

For most big cons, I actually only bring about 20 of my popular prints, and about 10 of my others! So if you were already hitting those numbers at the smaller con, that's amazing!

Larger cons mean more customers, but not by a huge amount in my experience (because that means the artist alley is usually larger too, so there's more competition!). If I were in your situation, I'd probably bring about 30 of my popular prints but still stick to 10ish of my other prints?

One trick I know some artists do is to print more copies of art they sell out of while they're at the con (by running over to the nearest local print shop)! I've never actually done this myself, but one advantage of doing this is that you don't have to carry a ton of prints with you if you're going to be travelling for the con. I'd imagine it'll be expensive to make a print order with < 1 day turnaround, so you'll have to check ahead of time to see if it's financially worth it.

I'm super curious to know how your experience with your second con went and how many prints you actually ended up bringing! (And sorry for not answering this ask in time! T_T)

[mysticdragon3md3]

I've previously heard advice from other artist alley artists, to always make for whatever series you're into. Not just because someone who likes the same niche will find you, but also because your genuine love for a series will show more through a fandom you're genuinely a part of, making your fanart for that series better than "obligatory" fanart for popular series.

But I also recently heard this video by Rafi Was Here:

He discusses artist peers advising him which art subjects are popular around whatever regions he was in at the time. But he proposes that maybe certain subjects only seem popular---appear to be the only subjects selling---because it is the ONLY option artists are offering to their customers. If ALL the artists at a show are only offering paintings of lighthouses, then of course lighthouse paintings are going to sell well---Customers literally don't have a choice. It's not popular, because it's the only thing that sells. It's the only thing being sold, so it seems popular.

Not that I don't think series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Once Piece, or Genshin Impact are popular. But it's not the only thing that will make sales with an audience. Artists have to be willing to take a chance and make fanart for even our niche interests, because there might be fans just waiting desperately to find some merch for it in artist alley. Which is why, a while ago, I decided to invest more seriously into my Kamen Rider fanart. ^-^ It's not an issue of shaming artists for genuinely being fans of a popular series. It's an issue of artists who do have niche or nostalgically old interests, to actually take the chance to make merch for those (now) niche IPs.

Also, as someone who systematically checks each table and each aisle in artist alley and exhibit hall, OP is correct. You really can't just identify one series at a table and assume that's ALL they make, even if it is a lot of their merch. Those are the tables that'll have great finds, tucked into a corner! ^u^